For the first time since 1994, Phil Mickelson will not be playing in the Masters.
Mickelson, who was not played on the PGA TOUR since the Farmers Insurance Open in January, was removed from the field on Monday. Instead, he's officially listed as as past champion who is not playing after telling Augusta National he wouldn't play.
Mickelson has been noticeably absent from the golf world following his public comments around the LIV Golf International Series, otherwise known as the Super Golf League.
The Super Golf League is a golf tour with eight scheduled tournaments offering heavy purses for those involved. It's backed financially by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund with Greg Norman serving as the face of the league thus far.
Mickelson was tied to the league as a potential player being recruited by the SGL, and his feelings about the league were revealed in a biography written by Alan Shipnuck.
“They’re scary {expletive} to get involved with,” Mickelson is quoted as saying in the book. “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates. They’ve been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won’t do what’s right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I’m not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] TOUR.”
Mickelson later apologized for his comments, calling them "reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."
Lefty's future in golf is unknown, as he's said he wants to take time away to "reflect." The 51-year-old currently has 45 wins on the PGA TOUR, including three Masters (2004, 206, 2010) and most recently the 2021 PGA Championship.
Norman hinted this week that the SGL will remain a possibility for Mickelson, saying "he’s always going to have an open door to the game of golf as far as I’m concerned."
Jon Rahm is the betting favorite to win this year's Masters, just ahead of Collin Morikawa. Find full odds for the tournament here.
